Medicinal Chemistry News and Research

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Scientists discover crucial role of nitric oxide in cellular signaling and health

Scientists at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Pharmacy have discovered a new role for nitric oxide, a gas molecule crucial for cellular signaling and health.

26 Aug 2013

Combination of anti-nausea drug and turmeric spice target cancer cells

In a laboratory, preclinical study recently published by the journal Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry, Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center researchers combined structural features from anti-nausea drug thalidomide with common kitchen spice turmeric to create hybrid molecules that effectively kill multiple myeloma cells.

20 Aug 2013

Researchers suggest new key to switch off signaling pathways that lead to hypertension

A team of University of California, San Diego researchers has designed new compounds that mimic those naturally used by the body to regulate blood pressure. The most promising of them may literally be the key to controlling hypertension, switching off the signaling pathways that lead to the deadly condition.

23 Jul 2013

Ensemble Therapeutics announces initiation of drug discovery collaboration with Alexion subsidiary

Ensemble Therapeutics, a biotechnology company developing Ensemblins, a novel class of small molecule therapeutics with the potential to modulate targets typically addressed by biologics, today announced the initiation of a drug discovery collaboration with a subsidiary of Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc., the global biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing life-transforming therapies for patients with life-threatening, ultra-rare disorders.

18 Jul 2013

Human filariasis research: an interview with Professor Mark Taylor, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine

Filariasis refers to a group of diseases caused by parasitic worms, which are transmitted by blood feeding insects. Two species infect the lymphatic and blood systems causing lymphatic filariasis, which in some people can lead to gross swelling of the limbs and 'elephantiasis'.

18 Jul 2013

Scientists set out to develop safer versions of acetaminophen

Efforts to develop a safer form of acetaminophen - the pain and fever-reducer that is one of the most widely used drugs - have led to discovery of substances that may have less potentially toxic effects on the liver. A report on the research appears in ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letters.

12 Jul 2013

New approach delivers RNA drugs to silence malfunctioning genes

Silencing genes that have malfunctioned is an important approach for treating diseases such as cancer and heart disease. One effective approach is to deliver drugs made from small molecules of ribonucleic acid, or RNA, which are used to inhibit gene expression. The drugs, in essence, mimic a natural process called RNA interference.

10 Jul 2013

First broad-spectrum drugs to combat human rhinoviruses

Scientists are reporting progress in the search for the first broad-spectrum drugs to combat human rhinoviruses (HRVs), which cause humanity's most common infectious diseases.

27 Jun 2013

TSRI scientists receive NIH grant to create new drug for chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have been awarded more than $1.4 million from the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health to create a potential new drug to attack the malignant cells that cause chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), which is the most common leukemia in the Western world.

20 Jun 2013

UIC's Center for Clinical and Translational Science selects six research projects for new pilot grants

The University of Illinois at Chicago's Center for Clinical and Translational Science has selected six research projects to receive pilot grants in 2013.

15 May 2013

Kinase inhibitors: an interview with Jan Hoflack, CSO of Oncodesign

Kinase inhibitors are molecules that block the activity of kinases. Kinases are a specific class of enzymes. They are extremely important in signal transduction processes in the human body meaning that they actually regulate most of the physiological processes that take place in the body.

7 May 2013

Pharmapendium adds new module to benefit researchers and toxicologists

Elsevier, a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services, today announces that PharmaPendium, the leading source of preclinical, clinical and post-market data, has added a new module to its content base, the Metabolizing Enzymes and Transporters Module.

6 May 2013

UIC College of Pharmacy receives grant to train students in natural product drugs

Elizabeth Martinez hopes to one day discover a cure for menopausal symptoms using an herbal dietary supplement. With the help of a new federal training grant to the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Pharmacy, her vision may become reality.

5 Apr 2013

Oncodesign signs agreement with Sanofi to identify kinase inhibitors involved in tissue protection and repair

Oncodesign, a company specializing in drug discovery and providing pharmacological evaluation services in the field of oncology, today announces that it has signed a second research collaboration agreement with Sanofi.

27 Mar 2013

Researchers test protease inhibitors with potential for prevention, treatment of norovirus infection

A Kansas State University-led team is researching ways to stop the spread of norovirus, a contagious stomach illness that infects one in 15 Americans each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

25 Mar 2013

Researchers identifiy elusive anti-cancer property of vitamin E

Researchers have identified an elusive anti-cancer property of vitamin E that has long been presumed to exist, but difficult to find. Many animal studies have suggested that vitamin E could prevent cancer, but human clinical trials following up on those findings have not shown the same benefits.

16 Mar 2013

UNM scientists identify chemical compound that appears to control cell metastases

It's the spread of the original cancer tumor that kills most people. That's why cancer researchers vigorously search for drugs that can prevent metastases, the spread of cancer. The research team co-led by Angela Wandinger-Ness, PhD, and Larry Sklar, PhD, at the University of New Mexico Cancer Center has found a chemical compound that appears to control cell migration and adhesion, two important characteristics of metastatic cancer cells.

14 Mar 2013

Sanford-Burnham, Mayo Clinic partner to expand and speed development of new drugs

To expand and speed the development of new drugs for its patients, Mayo Clinic has entered a formal collaboration with Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute. Under the agreement, Mayo's discoveries of potential drug targets will be the basis for the development of new drug screening platforms. This will allow future work that focuses on high-throughput screening and medicinal chemistry at Sanford-Burnham facilities.

12 Mar 2013

Global Blood Therapeutics, Array BioPharma partner for drug discovery research

Array BioPharma Inc. and Global Blood Therapeutics today announced a multi-target drug discovery collaboration agreement to identify small molecule lead compounds targeting chronic blood-based diseases.

6 Mar 2013

Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs): an interview with Dr Marco Timmers, CSO at Synthon Biopharmaceuticals

ADCs are used for a new type of targeted therapy that consists of a specific anti-cancer antibody or antibody fragment linked to a potent anti-cancer therapeutic.

20 Feb 2013